Hello Linda,
Now that the USGA has relaxed some of the rules, I question myself when asked about some of the rules. Situation: Player taking practice swings for her approach shot actually hits the ball. Now what? If I understand correctly, if this happened on the putting green she would put her ball back, but what if it was anywhere else in the general area?
Thank you,
Lulu from South Carolina
Dear Lulu,
You are correct in your understanding that there is no penalty on the putting green if the player accidentally moves her ball while she takes a practice swing [Rule 13.1d]. The ball must be replaced.
Elsewhere, the penalty for accidentally moving your ball in play is one stroke and the ball must be replaced. If the player fails to replace the ball, the penalty escalates to the general penalty (loss of hole/two strokes) [Rule 9.4b].
Linda
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